I'm Here
by Cham-TIVA4ever
Summary: An AU of the ending to Season 10, Episode 22: Revenge.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I don't own rights to the show or to the main characters. This storyline and original characters are mine and mine alone. _

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"That's her car," said Tony as he, Gibbs, and McGee speedily arrived at the dock in Norfolk.

"Think that fire's Ziva's doing?" asked McGee as the trio made their way up the gangplank to the ship. All of a sudden, they heard the worst screaming ever.

"Boss, that was Ziva!" exclaimed Tony as he rushed ahead of Gibbs onto the ship. Following their guts, they made their way to where Ziva was. As they made their way closer to her, they could hear the sound of metal crashing onto the decking, briefly followed by screaming and then moaning. Once they were directly below where Ziva and Bodnar were, they got their sigs out and loaded. Signaling to McGee to go around to the other side, Gibbs and Tony carefully ascended the stairs leading to the deck above, with Tony ahead of Gibbs. "Freeze Bodnar!" yelled Tony as he pointed his gun at him. "Drop it now!"

"Or what?" asked Bodnar as he struck Ziva again with the chain, causing her to scream and then fall unconscious. "I won't be prosecuted in your country, or in Israel."

"You've got 10 seconds Bodnar," warned Gibbs as he stepped in front of Tony. Just as Bodnar was going to strike Ziva again, Gibbs double tapped him. As soon as Bodnar fell, Gibbs checked him over to make sure he was dead while Tony and McGee rushed to Ziva.

"McGee, call Ducky and tell him to get down here ASAP. And find a blanket, she's going into shock," ordered Tony as he carefully touched his partner, hoping that she was alright. "Ziva, it's all over now. I'm here," he whispered to her, hoping that it would revive her, but didn't.

"Hold onto her Tony, I'll cut her down," said Gibbs as he carefully released Ziva from the hold she was in, with her arms tied together so that she was hoisted up in a vertical position.

"Got the blanket!" shouted McGee as he and Tony carefully wrapped it around Ziva. It took all three of them to lay her on the deck, with Tony holding her in his arms, trying to bring her back to him. "Ducky and Palmer will be here in a few minutes. Apparently Ducky had a gut feeling that he would be needed."

"Good thinking on his part," replied Gibbs. "That's them now. Tim, run down to the truck and tell Ducky to bring some extra supplies for Ziva. Hurry!" he told his Junior Field Agent. "How's she doing?"

"Not good. She's still in shock and still bleeding quite a bit." Gently stroking her face, Tony noticed all of the cuts and bruises she sustained. "Looks like she put up a good fight before Bodnar turned the tables on her."

"What happened?" asked Ducky as he, Palmer, and McGee made their way over to the others.

"Ziva tried to take Bodnar out on her own, but he tortured her instead," explained Tony. "She's got multiple lacerations on her back from the chain, bruising on her face and wrists, and she's in shock as well."

"How long has she been unconscious?"

"Since the last blow Bodnar gave her. Her shoulder's probably injured again."

"Let me take a look at her back," said Ducky. Carefully he, Tony, and Palmer rolled her over a bit so he could make out the worst of her injuries. "Those lacerations are pretty deep," explained Ducky as they rolled her back over to her previous position in Tony's arms. "Some of her previous scars might have been opened up as well. We need to get her to the hospital soon or she'll risk infection. Bethesda's too far out, so one of the hospitals here in Norfolk will have to do for now."

"We'll take her in the car," announced Gibbs. "Take Bodnar back to DC. We'll keep you updated."

"Alright," agreed Ducky. "If you can, try to secure medical transport to Bethesda."

"We'll try Ducky," said Tony as Gibbs and McGee helped him to stand with Ziva in his arms and wrapped securely in the blanket. Knowing that heading down to the dock was going to be an issue, they were all very careful in their footings, especially Tony. Once they made it to the dock, they hurried over to the car. McGee got in the back with Tony and Ziva, hoping that they could both revive her somewhat enroute to the nearest hospital. With Gibbs driving as fast as he could, they were at the hospital in moments.

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**A/N: Hope you all like this. My first NCIS story.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

"Dinozzo, will you sit down already?" asked Gibbs after he had watched Tony pace the length of the emergency waiting room for over an hour. "They'll come and get us when they're done."

"How can I sit down and wait?" he asked, looking at Gibbs and feeling helpless. When they had brought in a battered and bruised Ziva to the nearest hospital near the docks at Norfolk, she had been teetering on the precipice of life and death. "My partner is in a hospital, and I can't be with her." All of a sudden, he felt a big WHACK on the back of his head.

"Steady Tony. The doctors know what they are doing, and Ziva is not going to get any better right now with you being a nervous wreck." With that said, they both sat down. McGee came back in with, balancing coffee cups between his hands.

"Any word yet?" he asked.

"Nothing. We should have heard something by now," said Tony as he slowly sipped his coffee.

"How is she?" asked a gruff voice.

"Nothing yet Leon," said Gibbs as he took the director aside and filled him in on what had happened.

"Agents Gibbs and Dinozzo?" asked the doctor from the doorway. All four men stepped forward, but only Gibbs and Tony were taken aside. "I'm Dr. Morris, I'm going to be Ziva's primary physician while she's a patient here."

"How is she?" asked Tony.

"She's okay for now. We've stopped the bleeding and we're still bringing her out of shock, so it's still touch and go at this point."

"What do you mean?" asked a now worried Tony.

"It's her back that we're mainly concerned with. A lot of the lacerations were deep, and from the information Bethesda sent over to us, she's had this type of injury before. The skin on her back is very sensitive, and any other injuries to it will result in scarring. We were also concerned about infection, so we've given Ziva a tetanus shot, and we have her on antibiotics to bring her back up to speed, and to prevent infection."

"What if an infection sets in? What will you have to do?" asked Gibbs.

"We're going to be keeping an eye on the lacerations as a whole. Even though they've been stitched and glued back together, they might become inflamed. If that does happen, we will have to cut away the inflamed and infected skin. I do have to warn you though, she will be in a lot of pain for a while, both now and if we have to do this procedure. But I'm confident that we don't have to."

"You said you're still bringing her out of shock?" asked Tony.

"We are, and it is a lengthy process. We're replenishing her fluids as we go, replacing what blood she lost. What was important was that you wrapped her in a blanket when you found her, or else she would have suffered hypothermia. But at least it was cold enough to slow her blood loss, or she would need a transfusion right now."

"Ziva and I were in a car wreck a few days ago, and the vehicle hit on her side. Her right shoulder was banged up quite a bit. When we found her, she had her arms pulled tightly over her head," said Tony as he showed the doctor the position with his own arms. "Did that cause more damage to her shoulder?"

"We took x-rays of both arms, but until Ziva is more coherent, we won't know the exact extent of those injuries. But we have immobilized her right arm for now, just in case. Also, we discovered several bruised and a couple of cracked ribs that I assume resulted from the fight. We're going to watch that very closely for the next twelve hours or so."

"Is that it?" asked Gibbs.

"Other than the rope burns on her wrists and facial bruises, that's about it. Oh, we did find one other injury. "

"What was it?" asked Tony

"We discovered some type of markings on her neck. We took photos for your case report," said the doctor as he showed them, including McGee and Vance the photos.

"Looks like she was trying to be strangled at one point," noted McGee. "Same chain by the looks of it."

"The marks have bruised a bit, and will fade away on their own. That's why we have her on oxygen."

"When can we see her?" asked Tony.

"In a little bit. She tried to put up a bit of a fight while we were examining her, so we had to sedate her. It'll keep her out for a few hours at best."

"That's Ziva alright. Always the fighter that one," remarked Gibbs.

"We are going to keep her in ICU overnight to make sure she stabilizes. We'll know more by morning."

"I'm staying with her," announced Tony.

"Agent Dinozzo, I'm afraid," started the doctor, but was cut off by Tony.

"I don't care what your policy says. I'm her partner. I went to the worst place on this planet to bring her back. She's the last member of her family. We're all that she has left. I've been through thick and thin with her, and I know that once she wakes up, she's going to go all ninja on you and the hospital staff, just like she tried to do earlier. She's also a Federal Agent, and unless you want my director, who is here by the way, to get in your face like I'm doing right now, you'd better let me be in that room with her."

"I'll allow only you, Agent Dinozzo, to be in the room with her," agreed a defeated Dr. Morris. "Unfortunately, I do have to insist that the rest of you head home and come back tomorrow."

"Thank-you doctor, but we're staying. Just like Agent Dinozzo said, we're all that Ziva has left," argued Gibbs.

"Fair enough," said the doctor. Shaking hands with all four gentlemen, he led Tony out of the waiting room.

"I'll let you know if anything else happens," said Tony as he left. With Gibbs' nod, he left.

"I'm going to head up the hill, but I'll be back tomorrow. Keep me posted Gibbs," said Vance as he left as well.

"Keep the others informed," acknowledged Gibbs as he and McGee sat down again. This time, the wait would be even longer.

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"I do have to warn you, Agent Dinozzo, this will be a bit of a shock," announced the doctor as they stepped into Ziva's hospital room. And Tony was not just shocked, he was terrified. As he sat down next to her, his back to the window and the lights dimmed, he could make out not only her natural features, but the extent of her injuries as well: her right arm in a sling with an IV attached and both wrists wrapped in gauze, her face covered in cuts and bruises, her long straight hair splayed across the pillows, and a nasal cannula to help her breathe.

"How long will she have to be here?" asked Tony.

"We're hoping she'll be out of ICU sometime tomorrow, and on her way home a couple of days after that. It all depends on how much pain she's in."

"She does have a high pain tolerance, so she'll probably be fighting by tomorrow for sure," he said as he picked up her hand to hold in his.

"If there's anything you need, or if she starts to come to, call the nurse."

"Doc, sorry about giving you a hard time earlier. She's… she's my everything. Just don't tell Gibbs that last part."

"I accept your apology Agent Dinozzo, and trust me when I say that I get it all the time. Your secret's safe with me." And with that, the doctor left the room. After a moment of pure silence, except for the occasional beeping of the monitors, Tony finally spoke, but only in a whisper so that only he and hopefully Ziva could hear.

"Try Ziva. Please, try. For me. Please, don't leave me," he told her as he held her hand. "I… I love you." And with that, he broke down as he continued to hold her hand. And he continued to hold her hand right through the night.

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**A/N: The chapter you've all been desperate to read. I won't be updating every single day, so just hang tight in between each update.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

After what had felt like an eternity but was actually only a few hours, Ziva was finally beginning to stir. Tony had fallen asleep in the chair beside her bed, and had never let go of her hand. When he felt her squeeze his hand though, he was startled awake. Remembering where he was, he looked toward Ziva, who was thankfully starting to come to.

"Ziva," whispered Tony as he leaned in closer to her. "I'm here Ziva. I'm here."

"Tony?" she asked drowsily. "Ton… ny," she said as she was starting to become aware of how groggy she was. But when she tried to sit up, Tony was there to hold her down.

"No, no. Don't try to move Zi," he told her calmly, sitting on the bed next to her and gently brushing her hair out of her face. After a while, she began to calm down and was able to focus a bit more clearly than before. "Are you in pain right now?" Seeing her nod, he pushed the button on the rail for the nurse.

"Is she awake?" asked Dr. Morris as he came into the room.

"She's getting there," said Tony as he moved out of the way for the doctor. When the doctor began to wave the light in front of her eyes, her blood pressure began to rise. Tony knew exactly what was happening. "Doc, you better let me handle this," assured Tony as the doctor moved to have Tony sit near Ziva again. "It's okay Zi, you're okay. I'm here. No one is here to hurt you. I promise I won't let anyone hurt you again," he told her as he slowly rubbed his knuckles on the side of her face.

"Her blood pressure hasn't change any. I'm going to have to sedate her again," said the doctor.

"Not yet. Just wait a moment," argued Tony as he continued to soothe Ziva. "Sweetie, you're not going to get any better any sooner if you continue to fight the pain," he calmly and sweetly told her. Reaching out his hand, the doctor calmly gave him the control to administer the morphine. "I'm here Ziva. I'll be right here when you wake up. I promise." Before he pushed the button, he gently kissed Ziva on the lips and as he tapped the button. Ending the kiss he clicked the button once more. Pulling back slowly, he wanted his face to be the last thing she saw before she fell asleep again. When she fell asleep again, he gently kissed her forehead and then gave back the control.

"Wow. I don't know how you did that, but it worked," acknowledged the doctor.

"It wasn't just me. It was the drugs that did it mostly."

"That's not what I mean. The way you talked to her really did calm her down."

"You might call it charm, but I call it having the same partner for eight years and knowing what does and what doesn't work."

"Good job. Hopefully now she'll be able to sleep through the night with no problem."

"Thanks Doc."

"No, Agent Dinozzo. Thank-you," said the doctor as he left the room. After a moment, Tony returned to his former seat and resumed his vigil over his partner.

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**A/N: I know, I know: it's a short chapter. Unfortunately, I had to wing this chapter to get to this point. I encourage the followers of this story to review it as well (you know who you are). I'm hoping to update in a few days, so just bear with me on this. On a side note, in case you haven't heard: A HUGE SHOUTOUT OF CONGRATULATIONS TO MICHAEL WEATHERLY (aka TONY) AS HE AND HIS WIFE HAVE WELCOMED THEIR SECOND CHILD, A SON WHO THEY HAVE NAMED LIAM, TODAY! OORAH!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

For the remainder of the night, Ziva was in a deep medicated sleep. As morning began to wake up the city of Norfolk so did Ziva, but ever so slowly. As she was slowly coming to, she couldn't help but notice the hand that held hers. Looking over, she noticed Tony had been slumped in his chair in an awkward position. _He is going to be feeling it later on_, thought Ziva as she carefully moved the fingers of her left hand as she fought to keep her eyes open from the morphine that was still coursing through her system. As if by magic, Tony began to stir as well. After rubbing his neck for a brief moment, his gaze finally met her drowsy one. Quickly, he got out of his chair and sat on the bed next to her, cradling her face gently in his hands.

"God, you scared me," he told her as he leaned in and kissed her forehead, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. "I was so worried about you. I thought I was going to lose you again."

"You cannot get rid of me that easily," she told him in a raspy voice as she very carefully wrapped her sore arm around his neck to bring him in to kiss him.

"You remember me doing that?" he asked as he carefully pulled back in shock.

"Yes. You only did it to calm me down."

"And it worked," he told her as he carefully rubbed his knuckles across her cheek again. A second later, she began to cough uncontrollably. "Do you want some water?" After she nodded and he had held the cup for her did the coughing stop.

"Good morning everyone," acknowledged Dr. Morris as he came into the room. "Ziva, I'm Dr. Morris. I'll be your physician while you're a patient here." Coming around to get a better look at her, he had to tread carefully after what had happened the night before. "What I'm going to do is check your pupil dilation for any sign of concussion, and then I'm going to examine all of the injuries you received last night. Is that okay?" he asked.

"As long as Tony stays the entire time," she said as her voice began to get raspier by the second.

"Okay, let me take a look at your eyes for just a moment," the doctor told her as he quickly did that. "Looking good. No signs of a concussion whatsoever. Okay, now what's going on with your voice there?"

"She was like that a few minutes ago. She had a cough attack, but it stopped after she had some water," explained Tony.

"Okay. Ziva, what I'm going to do is that I'm going to take a look at these bruises on your neck and then I'll find out what's causing all of this. Okay?" After she nodded, he carefully maneuvered her neck, checking for any signs of pain. Finding none, he took a look at her throat. "Were you screaming at all last night?" When she nodded, he double-checked to make sure his diagnosis was correct. "The screaming caused some strain on your vocal cords last night, resulting in laryngitis. You're going to have to rest your voice for the next few days so that your voice can get better." When she nodded, Dr. Morris went back to examining his patient.

"Is it still necessary for her to wear a sling? I know her arms were in an awkward position last night, but isn't this a bit too much?

"Ziva, does your left arm hurt at all?" asked the doctor. When she shook her head, he took it as a good sign. "Okay then, let's see if her other arm is in the same position," he said as he and Tony carefully removed the sling. After a few simple range-motion exercises, the doctor made his second diagnosis of the morning. "So far, I think the mobility in your arm is good, but both arm muscles might be a bit sore. I'll let you off the sling for now, but if the pain becomes unbearable, it's going back on." After she nodded in agreement, it was time for the hard part.

"Is there any way that you can make this easier for her so that she doesn't have to move so much?" asked Tony in concern for his best friend.

"We can roll her over onto her left side. How's that sound Ziva?" asked the doctor. When she nodded, both men rolled her over, with Tony facing Ziva as the doctor examined the worst of her injuries.

"How do they look doc?" asked Tony as he sweetly wiped the hair out of Ziva's face as she began to doze off.

"Not bad at all," he told him. "The stitches are holding together, so everything should heal nicely. Okay, let's roll her back." After Ziva had been made comfortable once again, Dr. Morris pulled Tony aside for a moment.

"So, how's she doing?"

"After enduring what she did last night, it's a miracle that's she even awake, let alone trying to talk. Amazingly, she's going to be just fine. I'm going to have her transferred upstairs out of ICU, and hopefully she'll be out of her sometime tomorrow."

"What about later today?"

"It depends on how well she can handle the pain. During the night, we began to wean her off of the medication, so we're hoping that by lunchtime she'll be off of the drugs completely, except for home antibiotics which she will have to take, as well as have some in-home care for the remainder of the week."

"I can manage that," said Tony. "If I can put up with her for eight years, I can put up with this."

"Okay then, let's get her moved upstairs. But first, I'm going to update Agent Gibbs on Ziva's condition," said the doctor. "Did you know that he didn't leave at all last night?"

"That's what family does, we stick together," said Tony with his crazy grin as the doctor left the room. Knowing that they only had a few minutes left to be by themselves he savored that precious moment.

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**A/N: Cliffhanger until the next chapter. Enjoy!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey Sweetcheeks," whispered Tony as he kissed Ziva's temple to wake her up, which she did.

"Hmm, what?" asked Ziva as she struggled to stay awake.

"Shh, don't try to talk right now, just rest your voice," he reminded her. "You're being moved upstairs in a little bit."

"What about home?"

"It depends on how well you can manage the pain," he reassured her as he continued to hold her hand. A moment later, one of the nurses came in.

"Dr. Morris has instructed me to remove Ms. David's IV," said the nurse as she approached Ziva. As she went out to carefully take hold of Ziva's hand, Ziva got nervous.

"It's okay Ziva. Just try to relax. She's just going to take out the IV, that's all," he calmly told her. Knowing that the process was always uncomfortable, he sat next to her on the bed and managed to direct her line of vision toward him. "Shh, it's going to be okay," he whispered to her, as he knew she hated needles.

"All done," announced the nurse. "The rest of the drugs should leave her body by the time she's upstairs," she told Tony as she cleaned up the mess. When Ziva nodded her head in thanks, the nurse smiled and then left the room.

"Okay you two," said Dr. Morris as he entered the room once again with a set of orderlies. "How are you feeling Ziva? Any better?" When she nodded her head, the doctor took that as a good sign. "Okay, let's get you upstairs," announced the doctor as he, Tony, and the orderlies moved Ziva's bed out of the room. When they neared the elevator lobby, Gibbs, McGee, and Ducky all approached them.

"Hey Ziver," said Gibbs as he bent down and kissed her forehead. "How're ya feeling?"

"Better," said Ziva who still had a raspy voice.

"Don't try talking Ziver," he told her. "Here, we brought some stuff from home for you when you're ready for it," he told her as he handed a small duffel bag to Tony.

"Okay gentlemen, clear the way so we can get Ziva upstairs. Why don't you all just wait a few moments while we get her settled," suggested the doctor.

"Of course," said Ducky as he and the others except for Tony stepped out of the way. The trio waited about five more minutes before they decided that enough time had passed for Ziva to have been moved. Right before they entered the elevator, Gibbs' phone went off.

"Yeah, Gibbs," he said in his usual greeting.

"Room 407 boss," said Tony on the other end of the line.

"On our way," acknowledged Gibbs as he hung up. "407, Duck," he told the elderly Medical Examiner. When they made their way to her room, they found Tony standing outside. "What's up?" asked Gibbs.

"Dr. Morris is just giving Ziva another check-up and then she wanted to change into the clothes you brought over."

"Anything happen last night?" asked McGee.

"Yeah, she woke up once, scared as a lost puppy for a moment. After she was given more morphine, she was out for the rest of the night."

"Dr. Morris let me look at Ziva's medical file. She is going to need home-care for the rest of the week until those cuts on her back are fully healed. He recommended that you do the task, Anthony."

"I already told him that I would," said Tony. "I know it's asking a lot boss, but…"

"Don't worry about it," said Gibbs. "Vance called earlier and said that both of you have the rest of the week and the weekend off to rest and recover. After that, Ziva'll be on desk duty until she's cleared for field work again."

"Oh good, you're all here," smiled Dr. Morris as he looked out into the hallway. "You can all come in now," he told them as he led them back into the room. Noticing that Ziva was sitting up in bed with a pillow behind her head, Tony went to sit beside her on the bed, and he didn't care if Gibbs smacked him again. Wrapping his arm around her, she leaned into his touch, without a care in the world.

"How's my agent doin' doc?" asked Gibbs.

"Better than last night for sure," smiled the doctor. "Her arms and bruised ribs are healing rather well, but she's still in a bit of pain. So I think just some strong Tylenol will do the trick, as well as alternated ice and heat. The neck bruises will fade away by themselves. The laryngitis, on the other hand, will take a few days to go away. Lots of liquids will get rid of it."

"What about her back?" asked Tony.

"The injuries to Ziva's back are healing, and there is no sign of infection, thankfully. She will need home-care until next week when the stitches will have to be removed, and either Bethesda or Dr. Mallard can do that job," he said nodding toward Ducky. "After that, she'll have to be on desk duty until those ribs heal up."

"What am I to do for the home-care part?" asked Tony.

"Just check on the injuries, make sure that they haven't opened up any, and also check for any signs of redness and inflammation. If any of those three occur, call Dr. Mallard and he'll tell you what to do. I'll provide you with a kit and further instructions later on. Any other questions?" asked the doctor. When nothing was said, he made one last mark on Ziva's file. "Okay then, in that case, I'll let you all visit for a while. I've provided Ziva with a pad and pen so she can communicate with you. Ziva, you're going to get a meal here in a little bit, and I want you to eat all of it so that you can go home. Deal?" he asked. When she nodded, he smiled and took leave.

"How are you really feeling Ziver?" asked Gibbs as he stood on the other side of the bed.

_Sore, but thankful that it's all over_, wrote Ziva as she smiled at her new abba. Giving her another kiss on the head, he gave her a small hug, being mindful of her injuries.

"Hey Ziva," said McGee as he came forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek as well. "We were so worried last night," he told her.

_I know you were, and I'm sorry_, and with that McGee sat down on her other side. _Have you made preparations for Bodnar's body to be sent back to Israel?_ she wrote.

"Don't worry about that Ziva," reassured Ducky. "This whole ordeal is over, and what matters more than anything right now is you getting your strength back after the ordeal you went through last night". A moment later, a nurse entered with a tray for Ziva.

"Okay, now you remember what the doctor said Ziva: eat it all up and then you can go home," said Tony as Ziva just smiled at him.

"Come friends, let us away," announced Ducky as he began to get ready to leave. "And here is a little something from me to help you get better faster, my dear," he told her as he bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek as well.

"Thank-you Ducky," said Ziva with a voice and a still raspy voice.

"See you back home," said McGee as he got up to leave as well.

"We've got another car waiting for you downstairs Tony," said Gibbs as he handed him the keys. "Take good care of her," he said. "And you," he turned to Ziva, "be good for Tony, and do what the doctor told you to do. Okay?" When she nodded, he gave her one more kiss on the head before he too left. Suddenly, it was just Tony and Ziva in the room, all alone once again.

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**A/N: Thank-you for all the wonderful comments you've left. Keep the reviews coming!  
**


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